Indigenous Engagement and Inclusion

Roadmap to indigenous Inclusion and Reconcili-ACTION: Putting Indigenous peoples at the forefront of Patients First in the South West LHIN

Context

“The urgency reflected in the in-equitable health status of Indigenous people in Canada calls for ‘reconcili-ACTION’. The re-assessment of mainstream health policy promoting equity must be achieved through an IND-equity lens. This will require collaboration between mainstream policy and decision-makers, Indigenous health leaders and both Indigenous, Western-trained and Traditional practitioners that is in keeping with the spirit of ‘Authentic Indigenous Partnership’. Anything less will further blur the edges of the in-between space we all find ourselves in under the long shadow of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report. More seriously, we risk perpetuating the inequitable status quo; a health system that is still culturally UN-safe”

Services currently provided by Home and Community Care, (formerly the CCAC) to Indigenous people will be maintained. However, there are existing gaps in providing care to Indigenous individuals that will be addressed through Patients First work. The following recommendations are being put forward to improve care to Indigenous communities:

Ensuring that coordinated care planning is accessible for the most complex patients

Building a pathway to hospice palliative care for Indigenous peoples and their families

Transitioning care coordination to an Indigenous-led model

Building capacity through training and connecting care

Bridging the gaps in care through enhanced resources to support transportation and services for seniors

Commitment to Enhanced Communication

The LHIN is developing an Indigenous specific communication plan

The LHIN will provide more frequent and specific information about the Indigenous focus within Patients First to ensure there is an understanding of how these changes will affect health care services within the region

Improving Engagement and Accountability Framework

LHINs have an obligation to address Indigenous health as a priority

Given this expectation, the need to build a respectful strategy within the current climate is critical. Engagement and inclusion will be an important part of this process.

The communities are building an Indigenous Inclusion and Reconcili-ACTION roadmap to ensure Indigenous health is at the forefront of this work across the health system

The Roadmap

An Indigenous Roadmap to guide the LHIN

A roadmap that outlines the process of Indigenous inclusion/ consultation to inform the work of Patients First during the period of LHIN renewal and change, and also throughout the period of planning and implementation.

This roadmap will provide clear and consistent direction of when, how and where the Indigenous voice will be sought and integrated into the Patients First work.

The roadmap journey will include the knowledge and experiences of Indigenous peoples, patient, and families, as well as peoples who deliver services, whether health or social, in the interest of building a current and regional knowledge base to inform the decision making processes moving forward.

This will enable a much broader scope and ensure that there is transparent and deliberate planning to support participation across the region on many different levels.

There will be relationships built with the First Nations, and agreements made about how to ensure that the First Nation voices are present in this process.

This will include connecting with the First Nations leadership and governance at a governance level, as well as through the operational health service delivery level that is supported through the Aboriginal Health Committee.

Provincial Aboriginal LHIN Network (PALN)

Patients First

The Indigenous Health Committee recognizes that the LHIN and broader healthcare system is entering into a period of significant change and renewal. Throughout this change, the LHIN has a lead role in implementing the Patients First Act, and ensuring that there is equitable representation of the populations who reside and access care within the South West LHIN. To meet this obligation, there will need to be enhancements to the Aboriginal Health Committee structure to strengthen the communication and accountability between the LHIN-led structures designed to oversee and support LHIN Renewal and Patients First process.